St. Paul daily globe., 1887-04-17
ST. PAUL REAL ESTATE.
in All Respects the Real Estate Market is
in Excellent Condition and
Promising.
& Large Sale Yesterday of Dayton's Bluff
Property, Amounting to $ll8,-
600 in All.
More Houses Absolutely Necessary
What Different Parties Have
to Say of the Market.
An Elegant Suburban Residence at
Lake Como--Good Demand for
Property Everywhere.


The spring has opened with steadily in
creasing demand for realty in every part of
the city and in every suburb. 1t is impoS-
sibe TO designate any special locality that
seems to have a preference over Others for
many consecutive days. Day by day every
part of the city is growing steadily, and a
healthy development is manifesting itself.
The building permits show that a great
number of new structures are being COM
menced. Some of them are to be fine and
expensive business blocks, others elegant
residences, but by far the greater number
are moderateszed houses for the people,
costing from 81 600 to S3. 600. The people
of moderate financial ability all seem to have
come to the wise conclusion that it is better
IL build and live in house owned by them
selves than to pay rent. This is one of the
very cOmmendable features of the growth
and development of ST. Paul. The people
here realize the Importance of owning the
earth or some portion OF it. In consequence
there are are thousands of house owners
who are people of very moderate means.
but they invariably find it profitable. 1t
saves rent it encourages economy, it makes
more tasteful and pretty the homes of the
laboring classes. and Oh the whole renders
our city much more beautiful. Hundreds
will try to build homes for themselves this
season who have heretofore rented houses or
lived in flats or occupied cheap rooms Ill
boarding houses. AS illustrating the
scarcity of small houses and rooms
and flats to rent, it is learned that gentle
man with his family. arrived from Chicago
early last week. who came TO st. Paul to
Ill a situation previously offered him. He
brought his family and household goods
with him. and expected to find convenient
quarters and get settled in forty eight hours
after arriving here. The greater part of
the week was spent in searching for accom-
mOdatiOnS. and he was almost discouraged
by the high rentals and inferior accommo-
dations that could be secured. This is but
one case which illustrates hundreds of
other similar ones. Other families are
waiting at various points to come here as
soon as their friends or agents notify them
that anything can be secured. Almost
every room. fiat or tenement that is at all
available is occupied, and there are many
applications daily that can not be met.
Prices for moderate sized houses, with
water, sewerage. ETC., are too high, and
unless many hundreds of new houses are
bullt this season multitudeS will be turned
away for lack OF accommodations. During
previous years practical mechanics have
made good wages and handsome profits by
buying cheap lots. erecting thereon small
tenement houses with from five to eight
rooms i'll them, and, as soon as completed,
selling the new house and lot for a fair
price with a small cash payment down and
the balance in monthly inStalments. One
mechanic builds from twelve to fifteen houses
in that way every season, and he says that.
besides making steady employment for
himself and a number of mechanics in his
employ, he realizes from 20 to 35 per cent.
profit on the money he thus employs in
building, and sometimes he has made
as much as 80 per cent profit where he has
bought lots in a district that has developed
rapidly. This plan of operating could be
repeated many times in this city and to the
great profit of the capitalist and the me-
chanic, both. One man who made spe-
cialty of this system of buying, building and
selling, a man of large means and not
mechanic himself, who operated in the
eastern part of the city, in Arlington Hills
particularly, is said to have built last year
over 200 houses. He has been doing this
for two or three years, and he says that in
all his experience he rarely ever has prop
erty come back on his hands that had been
sold on the monthly payment plan. and
then only where there has been sickness or
some unforeseen misfortune which has
stopped the purchaser from earning his ac-
customed wages. The building societies of
St. Paul have also been powerful aids in
building up the city assisting worthy men
TO secure homes for themseles.
ACharming Residence.
J. R. McMurTan, of the firm of McClung,
McMurran & Co.. has commenced the erec-
s
has selected for the location of the strue-
tllre beautiful spot in st. Anthony Park
North, overlooking the cities of Minneapo-
lis and st. Paul. The place is covered with
magnificent forest of trees, and will make
charming location for such residence
The plans of the building, prepared by
Hodgson & Stern, have been entered with
:he famous Salmagund club. of New York.
The exterior finish will be of wood and
erra Gotta, and the apex of the towers fin
Ished in hammered copper. Foundation
walls and porte cachere of variegated boul-
ders. The entrance is by the porte cachere
to the veranda and main entrance, leading
to the main hall or atrium, 20X30, around
which are grouped the recep-
ton room. parlor. dining room,
breakfast room. and family room, all of
which open into the main hall. The main
hall is open full to the skylght in the roof,
and is surrounded by a balcony on the upper
floor. The skylight is of stained glass.
WHICH furnishes a soft and beautiful light
to the entire central portion of the house.
The main hall will be finished i'll antique
oak. the reception room in ebony, the par
lors in mahogony, the library, dining-room,
breakfast room and family rooms in cherry.
The entrance to the chambers, billiard
room, etc.. on the upper floor Is from the
balcony surrounding the main hall. These
rooms will be finished on the same liberal
scale as those below. The house will be
heated by steam and lighted throughout
with incandescent lamps. The estimated
cost of the structure is $50, 900.